Rare Sumatran tiger dies in Indonesia: official

January 15, 2012 in Biology / Ecology

This picture, taken on January 9 by the Nature Conservation Agency in Bengkulu province on Indonesia's Sumatra island, shows a trapped Sumatran tiger, in Muara Aman. The endangered animal was found with serious arrow wounds all over its body and was rescued from a wire trap in protected Indonesian jungle, according to officials.

An endangered Sumatran tiger that was rescued from a wire trap in a protected Indonesian jungle has died from its injuries, according to a conservation official.

The five-year-old male tiger was flown from Bengkulu province in Sumatra to Jakarta for surgery after it was discovered on Monday suffering nine spear wounds, provincial conservancy agency chief Amon Zamora told AFP on Sunday.

"It died from its injuries on Saturday. Veterinary surgeons found a spear wound that pierced it from the back to the chest, which proved to be fatal," he said.

"The tiger was also shot with an air rifle. Pellets were found in its eyes," Zamora said, adding that authorities were hunting for those behind the attack.

The tiger was found in Bengkulu, entangled in a wire trap attached to a tree branch.

Officials said the trap was likely set by poachers looking to sell the rare animal's body parts on the black market.

The conservation agency found several similar traps in the province last year and was helping police track down a suspected group of poachers.